The Amazing Race: Mushroom World
by HyruleKing
Summary: Following the events of "The Man With the Crystal Wii-Mote", 12 teams of two gather at Hyrule Castle to embark on a race around the video game universe, known as the Mushroom World, for a chance at one million coins. Prologue only. More to come soon.
1. Preview - Meet the Teams

_So yeah… Here we are. Another attempt at getting back into my Amazing Race series. With the recent changes I've made to my stories, and recent events that played out in "Man with the Crystal Wii-mote", I've essentially wiped the slate clean, so you guys will see a lot of old racers and old challenges come back in any future TAR stories I write… I will try to slip in some new ones, of course. So, without further ado, I present…_

_For some quick set-up, for anyone who's read "The Man with the Crystal Wii-mote", you know that CJ awoke from a coma to find that all his adventures in Hyrule were a dream. However, he found a magic crystal Wii remote that brought his dream (and the stories he had written) to life._

**The Amazing Race: Mushroom World**

**Hyrule Castle Town, 12:00 PM**

(A helicopter flies over the capital city of the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule. The city is filled with people. Most are humans with pointed ears, but some are large brown humanoid creatures whose bodies seem to be made of rock. And there are others, with the physical figure of a human, but blue in color with fins on their arms and legs. Standing in the northern part of the city, in the courtyard of a glistening white castle, is a brown-haired, blue-eyed New Zealand man about the age of 46, dressed in a navy blue button up shirt and jeans.)

"...This is Hyrule Castle Town. This capital city of the tropical kingdom of Hyrule, which has been the center of trade throughout the Mushroom World for ages, is about to play host to twelve teams in a race around the world. I'm your host, Phil Keoghan. Currently, twelve teams of two are being transported by taxi to the starting line here at Hyrule Castle. These teams each have a special relationship, and vary in size, species and age." The camera panned out over Castle Town to show twelve taxis, bound for the castle courtyard. "These teams are…"

**CJ & Stacey: Married**

"CJ and Stacey. Married, and also King and Queen of Hyrule, who saved Hyrule from evil many times. CJ is also the Sage of Shadow and gifted with the Triforce of Power, while Stacey is the Sage of Water and owner of the Triforce of Courage."

(The camera then shows a brown-haired, blue-eyed young man around 26 years old and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman around 22 years old. The boy is wearing a black t-shirt, gray vest, blue jeans, and glasses, and he has his arm around the girl. The girl is wearing a white t-shirt bearing the face of a Boo, a ghost in the Mushroom Kingdom, a pair of blue jeans, and purple framed glasses.)

"When I first heard about The Amazing Race, I thought it seemed like the coolest thing. So of course, I had to check it out. When I finally watched it, I decided that it needed to brought to Hyrule, the Mushroom Kingdom, and other countries around Mushroom World." The young man, CJ, said.

"So, we made some phone calls, and we were able to make it happen." The blonde girl, Stacey, added. "It's great that Hyrule connects the planet Earth to Mushroom World, otherwise none of this would've even been possible."

"Of course, I never expected that Phil would have offered to host the very first season." CJ said. "And neither Stacey nor I expected to be asked to compete. But, there was no way I was saying no. So here we are, and we're gonna give it our all!"

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters**

"Shaylene and Jennette. Sisters from Hyrule Castle Town. Shaylene is the Sage of Light in Hyrule, and Jennette is the Sage of Spirit."

(The camera shows two blond-haired, green-eyed girls. One is about 22 and the other is 16. The older one has long wavy hair and is wearing a pink-and-white-striped shirt and jeans. The younger one has straight hair that's tied into a ponytail by a green hair tie, and she's wearing jeans and a pink t-shirt with colorful letters that read "Sometimes Sassy Mostly Sweet".)

"I've always wanted to get out and travel, and this is a great way to do it, and a great way to bond with my little sister." The older girl, Jennette, said.

"I can't wait to travel, see the world, and go on an adventure with Jennette." The younger girl, Shaylene, said with excitement in her voice.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers**

"Mario and Luigi. Brothers and heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom." Phil said.

(The camera shows two mustached men. Both are wearing blue overalls. One is wearing a red t-shirt and hat. The other is garbed in a green t-shirt and hat. Both have brown hair and blue eyes.)

"Me and my brother are heroes in the Mushroom Kingdom. We can take whatever they throw at us." said Mario, the one in red. "And it'll be great, because we've never really done much adventuring together."

"I'm so excited for this race. My brother and I hardly ever have adventures together, and so this will be a great opportunity to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses and work off of them." Added Luigi, the man in green.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son**

"Yoshi and Yoshi Jr. A father and son team hailing from the tropical islands of the Mushroom Kingdom. Yoshi helped Mario in his quest for the Star Spirits, and Yoshi Jr was hatched from an egg, and then helped Mario win it all in the Glitz Pit and obtain a Crystal Star."

(The camera shows two green dinosaurs. One is quite smaller than the other. Both are wearing a red saddle with white edges. The bigger dino has orange curved-spike-like scales going down its back. The other has spiky orange hair on top of its head. Both are wearing red boots.)

"Not too long after Mario came to Lavalava Island and found one of the Star Spirits, this weird pig guy came to visit, and I found one of my eggs missing almost immediately after he left." The bigger dino, Yoshi, said.

"But lucky for Dad, Gonzales… I mean, Mario found me in Glitzville and rescued me before that pig turned me into a hot dog topping!" The smaller one, Yoshi Jr, said. "Now, Dad and I are gonna own this race!"

**Fox & Krystal: Married**

"Fox and Krystal McCloud. The former is the former leader of Team Star Fox, a team of mercenaries who have allied with the Cornerian Defense Fleet and protected the Lylat System. The latter is his wife, and member of his team."

(The camera shows a male red fox in a white t-shirt and blue jeans standing next to a female blue fox in a black bodysuit. The red fox has green eyes and has a laser gun at his waist. The blue fox has a laser pistol as well, but she also has a magic staff held at her waist as well.)

"Krystal and I first met when my team and I went to Sauria to defend from being destroyed." The red fox, Fox, said. "She was trapped in a crystal, and when I found all six of the planet's magic Krazoa Spirits, she was set free."

"Fox and I have had our bumps in the road, but hopefully, through this race, we can overcome those bumps and strengthen our marriage." The blue fox, Krystal, said, with a British accent.

**Peppy & Slippy: Friends**

"Peppy and Slippy. Friends from the Lylat System, and members of Team Star Fox. One is a genius inventor and the other is an excellent cartographer."

(The camera shows a toad and a hare, both male. The hare is gray, significantly older, and is wearing glasses, a brown jumpsuit and white jacket. The toad is wearing a white cap and yellow jumpsuit.)

"With my intellect and Peppy's knowledge of maps and map making, we shouldn't have any trouble winning this race!" Slippy the toad said with confidence.

"Of course, we'll have to beat Fox and Krystal to win." Peppy the hare said. "And sure, some may look at my age as a disadvantage, but I want to prove that just because you're old, it doesn't mean you can't have fun."

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends**

"Kirby and MetaKnight. Former rivals from Dream Land, who have since become good friends."

(The camera shows two round creatures, both male. The first is a pink puff with blue eyes and red sneakers. The second is blue and is wearing a silver mask revealing only his yellow eyes, navy blue shoulder pads, purple sneakers and a dark blue cape. At his side is a golden sword with a blade shaped like a lightning bolt.)

"I chose to race with Kirby because we've become closer over the years." MetaKnight, the blue creature, said, with a suave Spanish accent present in his voice. "Of course, I do worry about Kirby's eating habits getting in the way of our success…"

The pink creature, Kirby, who had been fitted with a special device so that others could understand his speech, simply chuckled. "(We'll be fine, MetaKnight…)" He said as the taxi drove by a fruit stand. Kirby hung out the window and inhaled several apples, as well as a few loaves of bread from the nearby bakery stand as well.

**Donkey Kong & Diddy: Best Friends**

"Donkey Kong and Diddy. Best friends hailing from the Kongo Bongo Jungle." Phil said.

(The camera shows a brown gorilla in a red tie with the initials "DK" written on it. Next to him is a brown chimp in a red hat and shirt with a gold star on it.)

"I'm really excited to race with Diddy. I mean, we've had adventures together before, but we've always been either protecting our friends or protecting our home, never really competing in a race around the world." DK, the gorilla, said.

"I'm hoping that this race will be a good bonding adventure for my and DK. Sure, we've had adventures together before, " Diddy, the chimp, said.

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor**

"Peach and Toadsworth. Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and her loyal guardian and mentor."

(The camera shows a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman in a pink dress. Next to her is a old man in a brown vest, purple shirt, and white pants. Oddly enough, he is wearing a brown-spotted tan mushroom on his head and instead of having legs, his body rounds out at the bottom where his feet are.)

"I'm so excited about adventuring on my own." The girl, Peach, giggled. "It's not something I've really ever had the chance to do."

"I'm worried about the Princess, which is why I'm going on this race." Toadsworth, the old man, added. "After all, I am her royal advisor and it's my duty to make sure she's safe."

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon**

(Like Kirby, Pikachu has been fitted with a special translator so everyone can understand him.)

"Ash and Pikachu. Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town in Kanto and his most trusted Pokémon."

(The camera shows a black-haired, brown-eyed boy in a black t-shirt, blue jacket, jeans and a red cap. Standing at the boy's feet is a small mouse like creature about a foot and a half tall. It's yellow in color, has long pointed ears with black tips, red cheeks and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. At the end of its tail, where it attaches to the body is a patch of brown.)

"Pikachu and I are gonna win it all! I just know it! Isn't that right, Pikachu?" Asked the boy, Ash.

"(You know it!)" The yellow mouse, Pikachu, chirped with excitement.

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends**

"Sonic and Tails. Best friends, who have teamed up many times to take on both the evil Dr Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik."

(The camera shows a hedgehog and a fox, both male. The hedgehog is blue and is wearing white gloeves and red sneakers. The fox is orange, has light blue eyes and is wearing white gloves and red sneakers.)

"I'm really looking forward to racing around the world with my buddy, Tails. Of course, I can't use my super speed since it would be unfair to the other racers, so I can't exactly call this a 'race'." Sonic the hedgehog joked.

"Personally, I'm looking forward to getting out and seeing rest of the world." Tails the fox said. "And there's no one I'd rather get to see it with than my best friend."

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating**

"Sly Cooper and Carmelita Fox." Phil said. "Sly is a master thief, and Carmelita is a former Interpol inspector turned Sly's leading lady."

(The camera shows a gray, anthropomorphic raccoon in a blue elbow-sleeved shirt with a yellow collar, blue boots, blue gloves with yellow cuffs and a peasant's hat. Next to him is an anthropomorphic red fox with waist-length black hair tied in a ponytail, garbed in a dark blue midriff bearing top, form fitting dark blue pants, a tan leather jacket and brown boots.)

"After all the crazy thieving adventures I've had, it's gonna be weird travelling around the world and not stealing anything." Sly, the raccoon, said.

"I'm really looking forward to travelling the world. Especially with Ringtail..." Carmelita the fox said, with a slight Spanish accent. "It's been nice settling down after everything we've been through… Especially that whole incident with Le Paradox…"

(The camera cuts back to Phil in front of Hyrule Castle.)

"Which of these teams will be able to pull out the right amount of mental strength, physical stamina and teamwork to be able to win it all? How will the relationships of these teams handle the stress of traveling to unknown places together? Who has the strongest will to brave the difficult challenges? And who will cross the finish line first to win one million gold coins?" Phil asked. "These are the questions weighing most heavily as we get ready to begin... The Amazing Race."

The twelve teams were lined up in front of the castle. Standing in front of them was Phil, and beyond him, in the town square, were twenty four backpacks. They were divided into twelve groups of two, each with a clue and a black fanny pack on top. Across the fanny pack was a yellow stripe along with the familiar "The Amazing Race" logo.

"In a few minutes, you are all about to embark on a race around the world. But first, we need to give you some basic rules. The race is divided into several parts called legs. At the end of each leg is a rest area called a pit stop. You want to get to the pit stop as fast as you can, because all but three of these legs are elimination points. The last team to arrive will be eliminated." Phil warned. "At the beginning of each leg, you will receive a small amount of money that will have to cover all expenses except airline tickets. Any money that you save can be used in future legs. Remember, if you run out, you can get more from locals, but don't break the law there. In the end, the final leg will consist of three teams battling it out to the finish line. The first team to cross it will win the one million coins."

The teams erupted in cheering, which could be heard all around Castle Town.

"And, remember... the race isn't just a matter of speed. Along the way, you'll run into challenges that you'll need to complete," Phil continued. "Some challenges require individual strength, but most require the power of both teammates. Now when I say so, you'll run over there..." Phil pointed beyond the castle courtyard, to the fountain in the center of town. "And find your packs in front of the Castle Town fountain. There you will open your first clue to begin the race. From there, it's up to you what you do."

Phil raised his hand.

"The world is waiting for you... remember to keep to the restraints of your powers..." Phil said.

"Travel safe..."

"GO!" Phil shouted, and the teams rushed by him in an attempt to grab their packs first.


	2. I Really Like Liver and Onions

**Leg One: "I really like liver and onions."**

Phil raised his hand.

"The world is waiting for you... remember to keep to the restraints of your powers..." Phil said.

"Travel safe..."

"GO!" Phil shouted, and the teams rushed by him in an attempt to grab their packs first.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son**

"Make your way on foot to Castle Town Airport, then take a plane to Mushroom City. Once there, take a taxi to the Mushroom Garden restaurant. You have 300 coins for this leg of the race." Yoshi read.

"_From the starting line, teams must head to Castle Town Airport and take any available flight to fly 7,972 miles to Mushroom City. Once there, they must take a taxi to the Mushroom Garden restaurant, where they will find their next clue." _Phil narrated.

"Let's go, Dad!" Yoshi Jr said.

**CJ & Stacey: Married**

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters**

"Okay girls, we're going to Mushroom City." CJ said.

"We get to see the Mushroom Kingdom? Awesome!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Stacey said.

As the teams grabbed their clues from the fountain, the Sages grabbed an early lead on the others, being preceded only by the Yoshis, but they were quickly outpaced by the Marios, the Star Warriors and Sonic and Tails. The footrace continued, but all of the teams reached the airport within minutes of each other.

**(Castle Town Airport, Mushroom Airlines Counter)**

The Yoshis, the Marios, the Sages and Team Star Fox raced ahead of the others and reached the counter.

"We need tickets on the next flight to Mushroom City, please." CJ said.

"So do we." Jennette added.

"Same here." Yoshi said.

"Us as well." Mario said.

"And the four of us too, please." Krystal said.

"Okay…" The clerk said, typing some commands into the computer and printing several sets of tickets. "The next flight leaves at 2:20 PM and arrives in Mushroom City at 4:55 AM."

**Yoshi & Yoshi / Mario & Luigi / CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette / Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy – FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

"Thank you very much." CJ said.

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating (Castle Town Airport, Help Desk)**

"We need to get on a flight for Mushroom City." Carmelita said.

"Well… Hylian Airlines has a flight leaving at 1:50 PM and getting into Mushroom City at 6:00 PM after a connecting stop in Goldenrod City, Johto." The clerk said.

"Thank you." Carmelita said.

"I have to admit, it's a bit weird getting around without the van… And being without Bentley or Murray." Sly said. "We've always been an inseparable team."

**(Hylian Airlines Counter)**

The remaining teams raced to the Hylian Airlines counter.

"Can we get tickets on the 1:50 PM flight to Mushroom City?" Sly asked.

The clerk printed out a pair of tickets and handed them to Sly.

"Here you go." The clerk said. "Last two on the 1:50 PM flight."

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – 1****st**** on FLIGHT 2 (Hylian Airlines)**

"We got lucky there, Ringtail." Carmelita said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Peach & Toadsworth / Ash & Pikachu / Sonic & Tails (Castle Town Airport – Mushroom Airlines)**

"We need tickets on the next flight to Mushroom City, please." DK said.

"Well, the next flight leaves at 2:20 PM, but unfortunately, it's all sold out." The clerk said. "But Jet Hylia has a flight leaving at 3:45 PM and arriving in Mushroom City at 6:00 AM."

**FLIGHT 2 (Hylian Airlines) – 1****st**** Departure (Castle Town) / 1:50 PM**

"_This is the first flight leaving Castle Town, carrying only dating team Sly & Carmelita."_

**FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines) – 2****nd**** Departure (Castle Tow) / 2:20 PM**

"_This is the second flight leaving Castle Town, carrying father-and-son __Yoshi & Yoshi Jr, brothers Mario & Luigi, married couple CJ & Stacey, sisters Shaylene & Jennette, dating couple Fox & Krystal and friends/Star Fox members Slippy & Peppy."_ Phil narrated.

**FLIGHT 3 (Jet Hylia) – 3****rd**** Departure (Castle Town) / 3:45 PM**

"_This is the third flight leaving Castle Town, carrying Star Warriors/Friends Kirby & MetaKnight, best friends DK & Diddy, Princess/Mentor Peach & Toadsworth, Trainer/Pokémon Ash & Pikachu and best friends Sonic & Tails." _

A plane flew towards a large metropolis aglow with lights in the night sky. Various cars, trucks and taxis could be seen driving down the streets, as well as long buses shaped like blue-spotted green caterpillars. In the distance was a large building shaped like a red block with the word "POW" written across it in colorful letters.

**FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines) – 1****st**** Arrival (Mushroom City) / 4:55 AM**

The plane touched down at the Mushroom City airport and the six leading teams all stepped off and rushed out of the airport.

"Taxi!" CJ shouted, stepping to the side of the road. A taxi pulled up within moments. He looked at the driver and motioned to Shaylene and Jennette. "Could you call a cab for my friends as well?"

"Of course." The driver said.

"Taxi!" Krystal called out, waving her arm. Without hesitation, a driver stopped to pick up her and Fox, just as a cab was pulling up for Shaylene and Jennette. Within almost an instant, Peppy and Slippy had flagged down a cab as well, but the Yoshis and the Mario brothers were still having trouble finding one.

"Where to?" The cab driver asked.

"The Mushroom Garden restaurant, please." CJ said. "And make it fast."

It took about another 5 minutes or so, but the Yoshis and the Marios finally hailed cabs, and were only a short distance between the lead teams.

**(Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

Three of the six cabs pulled up to the restaurant and the three lead teams rushed out and grabbed their clues.

"I can't believe this place is actually open..." CJ said.

"It's our first Roadblock…" Stacey said.

"Roadblock…" Read Shaylene.

"Who's got a good stomach?" Asked Yoshi.

"_A Roadblock is a task that only team member may perform, and no one may perform more than 6 in a race. In this Roadblock, that person must go into the Mushroom Garden Restaurant and_ _take the orders of and serve ten customers, at five tables of two. Once they have served the correct orders to the correct tables, they must sit at one of the marked tables and eat a plate of liver & onions. When they have finished the liver and onions, the chef will give them the next clue."_ Phil narrated.

"I'll do this, sis." Jennette said. She opened the clue. "A waitress type challenge. This is right in my line of work."

"I've got this one, Dad." Yoshi Jr said.

"Strong stomach?" Stacey questioned. "This one's all you hun." CJ opened the clue.

"This will make you glad I'm doing this one… The end of the challenge involves eating liver and onions." CJ said.

"Ew… Yeah, I _am_ glad I'm not doing this one." Stacey said. The three racers ran in while their partners waited outside.

The three racers ran up to the manager, who quickly gave them their instructions.

"You're serving tables 1 through 5." He said to CJ.

"You take tables 6 through 10." He said to Yoshi Jr.

"And you have tables 11 through 15." He said to Jennette. "The orders have already been prepared, and are being held in those warming ovens. You simply have to take the 5 tables orders, and come grab the correct orders and take them back to the correct tables."

**Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy / Mario & Luigi (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

Team Star Fox pulled up to the restaurant, jumped out of their cabs and quickly grabbed their clues, where they noticed Yoshi, Stacey and Shaylene waiting. Mario and Luigi were right behind them

"It's a Roadblock…" Fox said.

"Who's got a good stomach?" Slippy read.

"Eating challenge…" Luigi said.

"I'll do this one, Fox." Krystal said.

"I'll take this one." Slippy said.

"I'm up." Mario said. Luigi, Peppy and Fox stood with Stacey, Shaylene and Yoshi, while Krystal and Slippy headed inside. Yoshi Jr was running an order to a table, and CJ and Jennette had both just delivered their third order each.

"You're not half bad at this, CJ." Jennette said.

"Would you expect anything less from a guy who owns his own restaurant?" CJ asked. "And you're not doing too bad yourself. There's a reason why you're one of my best employees." The two quickly grabbed their fourth and fifth orders and headed back toward their tables.

"This shouldn't be too hard." Krystal said.

"Those two make it look easy." Slippy said.

**FLIGHT 2 / FLIGHT 3 – Arrival (Mushroom City) / 6:00 AM**

The final two flights reached the airport and the trailing teams rushed outside. Sly and Carmelita frowned at the sight of the other teams with them.

"Damn!" Carmelita swore.

"Being the only team on our flight, I thought Ringtail and I had a lead on the others." Carmelita said (After-Leg). "But I didn't realize we were getting in at the same time as another flight."

The teams stepped forward to hail cabs. A few of them quickly were able to get cabs, while a few others were left waiting.

**(Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

Three cabs pulled up, and Sly and Carmelita, Ash and Pikachu and Peach and Toadsworth jumped out.

"Roadblock…" Sly read.

"Who's got a good stomach?" Ash finished.

"It sounds like an eating challenge." Toadsworth said.

"This one's all you, Ringtail." Carmelita said.

"Let me do this one, Pikachu." Ash said.

"You okay with this one, Princess?" Toadsworth said.

"Yeah." Peach said. Toadsworth, Pikachu and Carmelita stood off to the side while the other three ran inside. Inside, Yoshi Jr had just delivered his final order, Slippy and Krystal had delivered their second and third respectively, Mario had delivered his fifth, but had incorrectly delivered his first four, Jennette was eating her liver and onions, and CJ had just finished his food.

"Done!" CJ exclaimed.

"What?! How?" Jennette questioned.

"I really like liver and onions." CJ said. The chef walked over and handed a clue to CJ, who ran outside with Stacey and opened the clue.

**CJ & Stacey: Married – Currently in 1****st**** (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Drive by marked car to the Great Mushroom Fountain, where you will find your next clue." CJ read.

"_Upon completing the Roadblock, teams must take one of these marked SUVs…" _Phil stood in front of 12 SUVs. On the windshields of the SUVs was a red-and-yellow sticker. _"And drive themselves to the Great Mushroom Fountain, in the center of Mushroom City, in Central Mushroom Park. Once there, they will find their next clue in front of the fountain."_

"Let's roll!"

**Kirby & MetaKnight / Sonic & Tails / DK & Diddy (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

The final three teams pulled up to the restaurant and jumped out of their cabs.

"Roadblock…" Sonic read.

"Who's got a good stomach?" DK read.

"This sounds like it was made for you, Kirby." MetaKnight said.

"I'll do this one, Sonic." Tails said.

"Go ahead, DK." Diddy said. The three racers ran into the restaurant, where Yoshi Jr was eating his liver and onions, Slippy and Krystal had delivered their final orders, Mario had successfully delivered his third, Peach, Sly and Ash had delivered their first, and Jennette had just finished eating her liver and onions. Jennette ran outside with Shaylene and ripped open the clue.

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – Currently in 2****nd**** (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Drive by marked car to the Great Mushroom Fountain, where you will find your next clue." Jennette read.

"Ooh, can I drive? Please…" Shaylene begged.

**CJ & Stacey: Married – Currently in 1****st**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

CJ pulled the car up to the edge of the park, and he and Stacey quickly jumped out. In the center of the park was a beautiful fountain. In the center of the statue, spouting water, was a stone statue of a mustachioed Mushroom Person. Surrounding the fountain were twelve kiddie pools filled with gold coins. The fountain itself was also filled with gold coins. In front of the fountain was both a clue box and a table holding twelve coins. Next to the coins were several small strips of paper, a small wooden box and several pens.

"Over there!" Stacey exclaimed, pointing out the fountain. The two rushed over and grabbed the clue.

"Detour… Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." CJ read.

"_A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between two tasks based around something the Great Mushroom Fountain is famous for: making wishes on gold coins. Their choice; Gold Coins or Gold Wishes._

_In Gold Coins, teams must search the 12 kiddie pools for a single gold coin with bearing their team's picture. However, what they don't know is that each of the pools are filled with 30 to 40 coins, and each pool only has 1 team's coin in it, so it will be tough for teams to find their coin._

_In Gold Wishes, one team member must write a wish down on a piece of paper and place it into this small box…"_ Phil motioned to the box on the table near the fountain. _"They must then throw their team's coin into the big fountain. Their teammate must then search the box, filled with several different wishes, for their partner's wish. After finding the wish and confirming it with their partner, they must find their team's coin in the fountain. While they only have to search the fountain rather than 12 kiddie pools, people throw coins into the fountain on a daily basis, meaning they will be searching through at least 100 gold coins."_ Phil narrated.

"So what do you think, babe?" CJ asked.

"Let's do Gold Wishes." Stacey said. "I'll make the wish."

"Okay." CJ said. Stacey walked over to the table, scribbled down her wish, tossed it in the box and threw her team's coin into the fountain.

"You're up." Stacey said.

**Yoshi Jr / Krystal / Slippy / Mario / Peach / Ash / Sly / Kirby / DK / Tails (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Done!" Yoshi Jr said.

"Finished!" Slippy exclaimed. "Only a few more bites, Krystal."

"It's so nasty…" Krystal said, with a disgusted look on her face.

Mario had successfully delivered his final order and was sitting down to eat his liver and onions, Peach, Sly and Ash had delivered their fourth orders, and Kirby, DK and Tails had just delivered their second orders. Krystal finally swallowed her final bite and gagged a bit.

"Done…" She said. The chef gave her, Slippy and Jr the "OK". The three quickly rushed outside, clues in hand.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – Currently in 3****rd**** (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – Currently in 4****th**** (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

**Fox & Krystal: Married – Currently in 5****th**** (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Drive by marked car…" Yoshi read.

"…to the Great Mushroom Fountain…" Peppy continued.

"…where you will find your next clue." Fox finished.

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – Currently in 2****nd**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

Shaylene pulled the car up to the park, and she and Jennette jumped out and rushed toward the fountain.

"Look. CJ and Stacey are still here." Shaylene said, as Jennette grabbed the clue.

"Detour… Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." Jennette read.

"Let's do Gold Coins." Shaylene said.

**CJ & Stacey: Married (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

CJ dug through the box of wishes and pulled out a slip of paper.

"I can't wait to start a family with my King…" He read. "Too easy. That's definitely her wish." He walked over to Stacey and showed her.

"Did I make it too easy?" Stacey asked.

"The 'my King' part might have tipped me off." CJ joked. He then rolled up his pant legs, stepped into the fountain, and began searching for the gold coin.

**Mario / Peach / Ash / Sly / Kirby / DK / Tails (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Done!" Mario said, as Peach, Sly and Ash sat down to eat their liver & onions. Kirby and DK had delivered their fourth orders, while Tails was working on his third. As Kirby and DK carried their fifth orders to the tables, Kirby accidentally dropped his.

"I'm sorry, Kirby… You'll have to wait while our chefs prepare the order again." Mario received his clue and rushed outside.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers – Currently in 6****th**

"Drive by marked car to the Great Mushroom Fountain, where you will find your next clue." Mario read.

"Let's roll, bro!"

**CJ & Stacey: Married (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

"Talk about a heck of a Detour to kick things off with…" CJ said. "Searching through a wishing fountain for a coin…"

Shaylene picked up a coin and examined it. "Darn… Just a regular coin." She said. Two more cars then pulled up to the park. Both pairs of Team Star Fox jumped out and grabbed their clues.

**Fox & Krystal: Married – Currently in 3****rd**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – Currently in 4****th**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

"Detour…" Fox read.

"Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." Slippy read.

"Shall we do Gold Coins?" Krystal asked.

"Sounds good to me." Peppy said.

**Peach / Ash / Sly / Kirby / DK / Tails (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Done!" Peach exclaimed.

"Finished!" Ash said.

"Same here!" Sly called out. Meanwhile, Tails had just sat down to eat his liver and onions, DK was eating his, and Kirby had just received his final order to deliver. Peach, Ash and Sly grabbed their clues and rushed outside.

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – Currently in 7****th**

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – Currently in 8****th**

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – Currently in 9****th**

"Drive by marked car…" Peach read.

"…to the Great Mushroom Fountain…" Added Ash.

"…where you will find your next clue." Carmelita concluded.

**CJ & Stacey: Married (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

**Shaylene & Jennette / Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

"I think this is gonna be harder than I thought…" CJ mumbled, picking up a regular gold coin.

"Dang… Yoshi and Jr's coin…" Shaylene said, dropping the coin back into the water.

"Slippy and Peppy's…" Jennette whispered to herself. She dropped the coin and kept looking.

"Sure, I could have told Slippy and Peppy that I found their coin." Jennette said. "But it's a competition. As much as I'd like to be nice, I couldn't afford it…"

"You're kidding…" Slippy said.

"What? Did you find our coin?" Fox asked.

"No." Slippy said. "I found Shaylene and Jennette's." However, little did any of Team Star Fox notice, Shaylene overheard Slippy.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son (Mushroom City – Streets)**

"Really? First leg?!" Yoshi was hunched over the steaming engine of the car, hood popped.

"This stinks! I can't believe our car broke down!" Jr exclaimed.

"_Should a car break down under no fault of the team, they can request a replacement car. However, they will not be compensated for time lost while waiting for their new car."_ Phil narrated.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers (Mushroom City – Streets)**

Mario drove the car out of a side street and pulled into the countryside.

"Bro, I think we went the wrong way." Luigi said.

"Yeah… I think so…" Mario said.

**CJ & Stacey: Married (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

**Shaylene & Jennette / Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

"Got it!" Shaylene exclaimed, fishing her team's coin out of the kiddie pool.

"Yes! I found it!" CJ called out as he finally found his team's coin in the fountain. CJ and Shaylene ran their coins over to a nearby Mushroom person, who handed them each a clue.

"Proceed to the pit stop: Mushroom Hotel." CJ read.

"Warning: The last team to arrive may be eliminated." Shaylene continued.

"_Upon completing the Detour, teams must drive themselves through town to this place…"_ Phil stood in front of a 4-story hotel. _"Mushroom Hotel. This 5-star, 4-story hotel is the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here… may be eliminated."_

"Let's go!" Stacey said, and the two teams rushed to their cars. As they drove away, Sly and Carmelita and Ash and Pikachu drove up and jumped out of their cars.

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – Currently in 5****th**** (Great Mushroom Fountain)**

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – Currently in 6****th**** (Great Mushroom Fountain)**

"Detour…" Sly read.

"Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." Ash continued.

"Let's do Gold Coins." Carmelita said.

"Take your pick, Pikachu." Ash said.

"(Gold Coins.)" Pikachu said.

**Kirby / DK / Tails (Mushroom Garden Restaurant)**

"Done!" DK called out.

"Finished!" Tails exclaimed.

"(I'm done!)" Kirby shouted.

**Slippy & Peppy / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

"This is just nuts… We've been searching through this pool since we got here…" Slippy said.

"Maybe we should each try a different one." Peppy said. "Like Fox and Krystal."

Meanwhile, Fox and Krystal were each searching through separate pools.

"Anything yet, Krystal?" Fox asked.

"No, not yet." Krystal said.

"Dang." Fox cursed. Ash, Pikachu, Sly and Carmelita then came rushing over and began searching the pools.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers (Mushroom City – Streets)**

"I can't believe I went the wrong way…" Mario said.

"Don't beat yourself up, bro." Luigi said. "It happens."

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Two cars raced into a parking lot outside a gorgeous, 4-story hotel made of sand-colored brick. In front of the hotel was a brightly lit sign that read "Mushroom Hotel". An elegant green awning stretched out over the front doors of the hotel.

In front of the hotel stood Phil and two Mushroom People. One was male and the other was female. The male wore white pants, a blue vest and had a red-spotted white mushroom cap. The female wore a pink dress, red vest, a white-spotted pink mushroom cap, and had pink hair that was tied into two braided pigtails by two small pink mushroom shaped hair ties. Two teams jumped out of the parked cars and raced toward the world map, where they anxiously looked at Phil, awaiting their placements.

"Welcome to Mushroom City…" Said the two Mushroom people, Toad and Toadette, in unison.

"Thank you very much." One racer said politely.

Phil looked at the two teams and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Shaylene and Jennette… CJ and Stacey… You are teams one and two." He said.

"What?" Stacey gasped.

"No way!" Shaylene exclaimed with excitement in her voice.

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – 1****st**** Place / 11:17 AM**

**CJ & Stacey: Married – 2****nd**** Place / 11:17 AM**

"Shaylene and Jennette, I have more good news." Phil said. "As the winners of this leg of the race, you have won the Express Pass, which will allow you to bypass any challenge in the race between now and the eighth leg."

"Awesome!" Jennette cheered.

"But there's more." Phil said. "You've also won a SECOND Express Pass, which you can give to any team you choose, and you have until the fourth leg to decide who you want to give it to."

Shaylene looked at Jennette, who nodded, knowing exactly what her little sister was thinking.

"We don't need to decide." Shaylene said. "We want to give it to CJ and Stacey."

"Really?" CJ asked.

"Duh! Of course!" Shaylene said. "Just 'cuz we're race rivals doesn't mean we have to stop being best friends."

"So, do you guys have a little bit of an alliance going already?" Phil asked.

"Oh yeah." CJ said. "Sure, this race is all about competition, but it never hurts to make alliances."

"Shaylene and Jennette have been my best friends for years, so of course Stacey and I are gonna form an alliance with them." CJ said (After-Leg). "Besides, if we're all working together, we're bound to stay in the race longer than other teams. That's one thing I've noticed about the Amazing Race: the alliances are almost always stronger than the lone teams."

"I'm so proud of my little sister." Jennette said (After-Leg). "Not only did she run a great race this leg, but she did an even better job driving through the streets of Mushroom City! Hard to believe she just passed her road test and got her license a few months before the race began."

"It was nice of the girls to give us the second Express Pass." Stacey said (After-Leg). "I'm glad CJ is good friends with the two of them and they were willing to form an alliance. I'm sure that will pay off in the long run."

"It's so awesome that we won the Express Pass!" Shaylene excitedly chirped (After-Leg). "We're definitely gonna use that when we get stuck on a challenge. I'd rather go down fighting than go down with the Express Pass still in my hands. That would be such a mistake."

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – Currently in 7****th**** (Great Mushroom Fountain)**

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends – Currently in 8****th**** (Great Mushroom Fountain)**

The two teams pulled up to the park, quickly rushed out of their cars and grabbed their clues.

"Detour…" Toadsworth began to read.

"(Gold Wishes or Gold Coins.)" Kirby continued.

"Let's do Gold Wishes." Peach said.

"I'm up for some coin hunting. Let's do Gold Coins." MetaKnight said.

**Slippy & Peppy / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

"Yo Fox!" Slippy shouted. "I found your coin!"

"What luck!" Krystal called back. "I found yours too!" The two Star Fox teams ran over to each other and swapped coins. They then rushed the coins over the Mushroom person overseeing the challenge and received their clues, just as the Star Warriors and Peach and Toadsworth arrived.

"Proceed to the pit stop…" Fox read.

"Mushroom Hotel. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." Peppy finished.

"(Did that just actually happen?)" Pikachu asked.

"Hey, Ringtail… What do you say we team up with Ash and Pikachu?" Carmelita asked.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son (Mushroom City – Streets)**

"That wait took forever." Yoshi said. He and Yoshi Jr were in their replacement car, driving down the streets of Mushroom City, bound for Central Mushroom Park.

"Yeah it did." Jr said. "I hope we can catch up."

**DK & Diddy: Siblings – Currently in 9****th**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends – Currently in 10****th**** (Central Mushroom Park)**

The two teams pulled up to the park, jumped out of the cars, and grabbed their clues.

"Detour…" DK read.

"Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." Tails finished.

"Let's do Gold Wishes, DK." Diddy said.

"You up for Gold Wishes, bud?" Sonic asked.

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Two more cars rushed toward the hotel. The teams jumped out and ran toward the world map, where Phil waited with Toad and Toadette.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toad and Toadette said.

"Thank you."

"Peppy and Slippy…" Phil said. "You're team number three. Fox and Krystal… You're team number four."

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – 3****rd**** Place / 11:37 AM**

**Fox & Krystal: Married – 4****th**** Place / 11:38 AM**

"Not bad." Slippy said.

"Not first," Fox said, "But still not bad."

"We definitely could have done worse." Krystal said.

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita / Kirby & MetaKnight (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**DK & Diddy / Sonic & Tails / Peach & Toadsworth (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"Hey Ringtail, anything yet?" Carmelita asked.

"Nothing yet… Wait! I found something!" Sly said, grabbing a coin. "It's our coin!"

"Sweet!" Carmelita said.

"(So much for working together…)" Pikachu mumbled. Sly then pocketed the coin, moved on to the next pool and continued looking.

"Sure, Carmelita and I could've bolted after finding our coin, but it's only the first leg, and I knew there were still teams behind us." Sly said (After-Leg). "I didn't see any reason not to make a short alliance."

"(MetaKnight, I've got it!)" Kirby exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Diddy and Sonic were busy fishing for wishes.

"I wish I had more bananas…" Diddy read. "Yep, that's totally DK's wish."

"I wish my friends and I could be safe from Eggman." Sonic read. "Too easy, Tails." The two showed their wishes to the nearby Mushroom person, who nodded. They quickly jumped into the fountain and began searching for their coins.

"Found it!" Shouted Peach, who found her team's coin, just as the other two teams jumped into the fountain.

Peach, Toadsworth, Kirby and MetaKnight ran and showed their coins to the Mushroom person, who handed them their clues.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends – Currently in 5****th**

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – Currently in 6****th**

"Proceed to the pit stop… Mushroom Hotel." MetaKnight read.

"Warning: the last team to arrive may be eliminated." Toadsworth finished. "Jolly good! Let's go!"

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers (Central Mushroom Park)**

The brothers' car pulled up to the park and they quickly jumped out.

"Detour… Gold Coins or Gold Wishes." Mario read, opening the clue.

"Gold coins." Luigi said, looking at the clue. The two then ran over and joined Ash, Pikachu, Sly and Carmelita, who were still searching for their coins.

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita / Mario & Luigi (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**DK & Diddy / Sonic & Tails (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"(What is Sly doing?)" Pikachu asked Ash with a whispered tone.

"Maybe he thinks we need to find two coins…" Ash whispered back.

"Hey Ringtail!" Carmelita called out. "I found it!" She tossed a coin to Sly.

"Ash! Catch!" Sly shouted, catching Ash's attention. Sly then tossed the coin to Ash.

"Whoa! This is our coin!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Thanks, Sly!"

"No problem, dude." Sly said. "Let's roll." The two teams then ran their coins over to the Mushroom person, who handed them their clues.

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – Currently in 7****th**

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – Currently in 8****th**

"Proceed to the pit stop… Mushroom Hotel." Sly read.

"(Warning: the last team to arrive may be eliminated.)" Pikachu finished. The two teams jumped into their cars and raced away.

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Phil, Toad and Toadette waited on the world map as a single car raced into the hotel parking lot. It was clear that although some teams helped each other at the Detour, they weren't helping each other to the pit stop. The next team to check in rushed forward and hopped onto the map.

"Welcome to Mushroom City…" Toad and Toadette said.

"Thank you, Master Toad."

"Peach and Toadsworth…" Phil said. "You… are team number five."

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – 5****th**** Place / 12:03 PM**

"Fifth place isn't bad…" Peach said.

"I'm glad my age didn't slow us down, Princess." Toadsworth said.

"C'mon Toadsworth, you're not that old." Toadette said.

**Mario & Luigi (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**DK & Diddy / Sonic & Tails (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"Dang… This is tough." Diddy said. "You would think it would be easier since we're searching through a fountain instead of pools, but I guess not."

"So… we need to search through all 12 of these?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah… All of 'em." Mario replied.

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Another team rushed up to the world map, anxious to check in.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette said.

"How'd we do, Phil?" One racer asked nervously.

"Ash and Pikachu… You're team number six." Phil said.

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – 6****th**** Place / 12:17 PM**

"I thought you were working with Sly and Carmelita?" Phil questioned.

"We were, but we went separate ways to the pit stop." Ash said. "I thought they would beat us here…"

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – Currently in Last (Central Mushroom Park)**

The Yoshis pulled up to the park and jumped out of their car.

"Finally… we made it." Yoshi said, grabbing the clue and tearing it open. "Detour… Gold Coins or Gold Wishes."

"Let's do… Gold Coins." Yoshi Jr said.

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Another team rushed up to the hotel, eager to check in.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toad said.

"Ash and Pikachu just got here a few minutes ago." Phil said. "Sly and Carmelita… You're team number seven."

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – 7****th**** Place / 12:20 PM**

"Seventh? That's in the bottom half…" Carmelita said. "We need to do better next time, Ringtail."

"No kidding." Sly said.

**Mario & Luigi / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**DK & Diddy / Sonic & Tails (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"It's gotta be around here somewhere… I swear we've searched every pool." Luigi said.

"Bro! I found it!" Mario called out. Luigi ran over and looked at the coin.

"Yes!" Luigi cheered.

Yoshi and Yoshi Jr walked over to the pools.

"This isn't going to be easy…" Yoshi said.

"Okay… this is just ridiculous." Diddy said. "I swear I've picked up every coin in this fountain."

"And you didn't tell me you found mine?" Sonic joked.

Mario and Luigi then ran their coin over to the Mushroom person overseeing the challenge. He nodded and handed them their clue.

"Proceed to the pit stop… Mushroom Hotel." Mario read. "Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated."

"Let's roll, bro!"

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Phil pointed to the parking lot as another team came racing up to the hotel.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette said.

"Kirby and MetaKnight…" Phil said. "You're team number eight."

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends – 8****th**** Place / 12:29 PM**

"Kirby… We need to do better next time." MetaKnight said.

"(I'm hungry. When do we eat?) Kirby asked.

"Kirby, you just ate at the Roadblock, how are you hungry?" MetaKnight questioned.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**DK & Diddy / Sonic & Tails (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"Yes! Found it!" Diddy exclaimed. He quickly rushed over to DK, and the two soon had their clue in hand.

"Proceed to the pit stop… Mushroom Hotel." DK read. "Warning: the last team to arrive may be eliminated."

"And we're off!" Diddy said, as the Kongs rushed toward their car and were soon on their way to the pit stop.

"Great… I need to find that coin… Fast." Sonic mumbled.

"C'mon, Dad! We gotta do this! Another team just left!" Yoshi Jr exclaimed.

"I know, son!" Yoshi called back.

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toad said.

"Thank you."

"Mario and Luigi." Phil said. "You're team number nine."

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers – 9****th**** Place / 12:40 PM**

"That's cutting it too close for comfort." Mario said. "We could've done a lot better if I hadn't gotten lost while driving."

"Knock it off, bro." Luigi said. "It's not your fault."

A short time later, another team pulled into the parking lot and ran towards the world map.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toadette said.

"DK and Diddy…" Phil said. "You're team number ten."

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 10****th**** Place / 12:46 PM**

"Yikes… We NEED to do better next leg." DK said.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Coins)**

**Sonic & Tails (Great Mushroom Fountain – Gold Wishes)**

"FINALLY!" Sonic exclaimed with a mix of excitement, joy and frustration. He rushed the coin to the Mushroom person overseeing the challenge and received his clue.

"Proceed to Mushroom Hotel. Warning: the last team to arrive may be eliminated." Sonic read.

A few minutes later…

"I found it, Dad!" Yoshi Jr shouted. He and Yoshi soon had their clue in hand.

"It's the pit stop, son…" Yoshi said.

"Let's go! We know this city better than they do! We can beat them there." Yoshi Jr said.

"We were confident that we could beat Sonic and Tails to the pit stop." Yoshi said (After-Leg). "We're familiar with Mushroom City. I knew beating them there by drive was probably our only hope. Even with him unable to use his powers, I wasn't confident that we could beat Sonic in a foot race."

**Team ? (Mushroom Hotel)**

Phil and the Toads stood on the world map, watching as the final two teams raced toward the pit stop.

"Welcome to Mushroom City." Toad and Toadette said in unison.

"Thank you."

"Sonic and Tails…" Phil said. "You're team number eleven."

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends – 11****th**** Place / 12:59 PM**

"Yoshi and Yoshi Jr… You're the last team to arrive." Phil said.

**Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – Last Place / 1:00 PM**

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race."

"We could've stayed in the race… But of course, we had car trouble… Just our luck." Yoshi said (After-Leg).

"Oh well… It was fun while it lasted, even if it was incredibly short." Yoshi Jr said.

(The camera zooms out over the pit stop as Yoshi and Yoshi Jr walk away. A light drizzle begins to fall over the city and lightning can be seen flashing in the distance.)

Leg 1 Trivia:

- The Roadblock for this leg was simply inspired by the fact that every race seems to have some type of eating challenge, usually involving a weird food or a food no one likes, so I chose liver & onions. And yes, in case anyone is wondering, I do actually like liver and onions.

- As I think has been mentioned in previous fics, CJ owns a restaurant known as "The Hungry Hylian" located in Hyrule Castle Town. Despite the changes that happened as a result of "Curse of the Gerudo" and "Man with the Crystal Wii-mote", that's a fact that hasn't changed. And no, I don't actually own my own restaurant, nor do I have any desire to.

- For anyone who doesn't already know, Sly and Carmelita are two major character from the _Sly Cooper_ video games. I'm kind of a huge fan of those games, so I decided to make Sly and Carmelita a guest team for the race.

- CJ's wife Stacey is based off of my girlfriend Stacey. And yes, she actually does call me her king. She knows about my fanfictions and knows that I'm King of Hyrule in them, and that's where the nickname comes from.

- I have nothing against the Yoshis. I use a random name shuffler/generator to decide who gets eliminated prior to even writing the story. The Yoshis got the short end of the stick unfortunately.

- Yes, Shaylene took a cheap shot at Jessica & John getting eliminated without using the Express Pass. I personally couldn't believe that they actually did that, but I guess mistakes happen. But hey, they still got the experience of a lifetime actually being on the race.


	3. For the Fastest Thing Alive, I was Slow

_Author's Note: I know I do this in literally every Amazing Race fanfic I've written, but since they can all stand alone and be read completely separate from each other, I always feel that this should explained._

**Bold text** is used to identify racer names, relationship, current location and current placement if applicable. Typically it's there to identify that we've switched and are now viewing another team completing a certain challenge or driving to a destination or checking into the Pit Stop.

_Italicized text_ is used to identify when Phil is narrating/doing a voice-over. This is typically used to go into further detail after a new clue is read.

Underlined text is used to show that a racer is speaking directly to the camera, usually adding commentary of some type to explain their thoughts or decisions about a significant choice they made during the leg. The text in parentheses afterward (Before-Leg, During-Leg, After-Leg) describes when during the leg the racer is speaking to the camera. After-Leg is after checking into the Pit Stop, Before-Leg is before departing from the Pit Stop, and During-Leg is during the leg at a break in the action (typically while at the airport waiting for a flight).

_Without further ado, back to the race!_

_Loading the save file… The save file has been loaded!_

**Leg Two: "For the fastest thing alive, I was pretty slow..."**

"_Previously on The Amazing Race…"_

"_Twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, departing Hyrule Castle Town, bound for Mushroom City, in the first leg of a race around the world for one million coins…"_

"Make your way on foot to Castle Town Airport, then take a plane to Mushroom City. Once there, take a taxi to the Mushroom Garden restaurant. You have 300 coins for this leg of the race." Yoshi read.

"Okay girls, we're going to Mushroom City." CJ said.

"We get to see the Mushroom Kingdom? Awesome!" Shaylene exclaimed.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Stacey said.

"_At the Roadblock, racers found themselves doing the job of a waiter or waitress…"_

The three racers ran up to the manager, who quickly gave them their instructions.

"You're serving tables 1 through 5." He said to CJ.

"You take tables 6 through 10." He said to Yoshi Jr.

"And you have tables 11 through 15." He said to Jennette. "The orders have already been prepared, and are being held in those warming ovens. You simply have to take the 5 tables orders, and come grab the correct orders and take them back to the correct tables."

"I'm up." Mario said. Luigi, Peppy and Fox stood with Stacey, Shaylene and Yoshi, while Krystal and Slippy headed inside. Yoshi Jr was running an order to a table, and CJ and Jennette had both just delivered their third order each.

"You're not half bad at this, CJ." Jennette said.

"Would you expect anything less from a guy who owns his own restaurant?" CJ asked. "And you're not doing too bad yourself. There's a reason why you're one of my best employees." The two quickly grabbed their fourth and fifth orders and headed back toward their tables.

"… _and then they found themselves having to chow down on a plate of liver and onions, which some racers had no trouble with…"_

"Done!" CJ exclaimed.

"What?! How?" Jennette questioned.

"I really like liver and onions." CJ said. The chef walked over and handed a clue to CJ, who ran outside with Stacey and opened the clue.

"… _while others downed the dish with difficulty."_

"It's so nasty…" Krystal said, with a disgusted look on her face.

Mario had successfully delivered his final order and was sitting down to eat his liver and onions, Peach, Sly and Ash had delivered their fourth orders, and Kirby, DK and Tails had just delivered their second orders. Krystal finally swallowed her final bite and gagged a bit.

"Done…" She said. The chef gave her, Slippy and Jr the "OK". The three quickly rushed outside, clues in hand.

"_At the Detour, teams found themselves either searching through twelve kiddie pools filled with gold coins for a single coin marked with their picture…"_

"This is just nuts… We've been searching through this pool since we got here…" Slippy said.

"Maybe we should each try a different one." Peppy said. "Like Fox and Krystal."

Meanwhile, Fox and Krystal were each searching through separate pools.

"Anything yet, Krystal?" Fox asked.

"No, not yet." Krystal said.

"Dang." Fox cursed. Ash, Pikachu, Sly and Carmelita then came rushing over and began searching the pools.

"…_or finding their partner's wish in a box of wishes…"_

CJ dug through the box of wishes and pulled out a slip of paper.

"I can't wait to start a family with my King…" He read. "Too easy. That's definitely her wish." He walked over to Stacey and showed her.

"Did I make it too easy?" Stacey asked.

"The 'my King' part might have tipped me off." CJ joked.

"… _and then searching a fountain filled with gold coins for a single coin marked with their team's picture…"_

"Talk about a heck of a Detour to kick things off with…" CJ said. "Searching through a wishing fountain for a coin…"

Shaylene picked up a coin and examined it. "Darn… Just a regular coin." She said. Two more cars then pulled up to the park. Both pairs of Team Star Fox jumped out and grabbed their clues.

"_Married couple CJ & Stacey and sisters Shaylene & Jennette formed a quick alliance, which allowed them to reach the pit stop first…"_

"Welcome to Mushroom City…" Said the two Mushroom people, Toad and Toadette, in unison.

"Thank you very much." One racer said politely.

Phil looked at the two teams and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Shaylene and Jennette… CJ and Stacey… You are teams one and two." He said.

"What?" Stacey gasped.

"No way!" Shaylene exclaimed with excitement in her voice.

"…_Where they were all met with a surprise…"_

"Shaylene and Jennette, I have more good news." Phil said. "As the winners of this leg of the race, you have won the Express Pass, which will allow you to bypass any challenge in the race between now and the eighth leg."

"Awesome!" Jennette cheered.

"But there's more." Phil said. "You've also won a SECOND Express Pass, which you can give to any team you choose, and you have until the fourth leg to decide who you want to give it to."

Shaylene looked at Jennette, who nodded, knowing exactly what her little sister was thinking.

"We don't need to decide." Shaylene said. "We want to give it to CJ and Stacey."

"Really?" CJ asked.

"Duh! Of course!" Shaylene said. "Just 'cuz we're race rivals doesn't mean we have to stop being best friends."

"So, do you guys have a little bit of an alliance going already?" Phil asked.

"Oh yeah." CJ said. "Sure, this race is all about competition, but it never hurts to make alliances."

"_Father and son Yoshi and Yoshi Jr were met with car troubles early in the leg, which slowed them significantly…"_

"Really? First leg?!" Yoshi was hunched over the steaming engine of the car, hood popped.

"This stinks! I can't believe our car broke down!" Jr exclaimed.

"_And together with their difficulties at the Detour…"_

Yoshi and Yoshi Jr walked over to the pools.

"This isn't going to be easy…" Yoshi said.

"C'mon, Dad! We gotta do this! Another team just left!" Yoshi Jr exclaimed.

"I know, son!" Yoshi called back.

"_Which unfortunately ended up costing them the race…"_

"Yoshi and Yoshi Jr… You're the last team to arrive." Phil said.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race."

"_Eleven teams remain… Who will be eliminated next?"_

Shaylene & Jennette go for "gold" ; Yoshi & Yoshi Jr "break down" to elimination

(The camera flies over Mushroom City, where green Wiggler buses and other cars cruise down the streets. The camera zooms in to the Mushroom Hotel, where Phil stands in a silver button-up t-shirt and jeans. The ground is wet from the thunderstorms that moved through overnight.)

"This is Mushroom City. And in the southeast corner of the beautiful, bustling city in the Mushroom Kingdom is this place… Mushroom Hotel. This 5-star hotel, frequented by tourists visiting Mushroom City to watch the annual Mushroom Cup, was the first pit stop in a race around the world. Teams arrived here at the end of a last leg for a mandatory rest period before they begin the next leg. The eleven teams here have no idea what awaits them in the next leg. Can allied teams CJ & Stacey and Shaylene & Jennette hold on to their lead and stay on top? What about last place Sonic & Tails? Can they pull out of the back of the pack?

Shaylene & Jennette and CJ & Stacey, who were the first teams to arrive at 11:17 AM, will depart at 11:17 PM."

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – 1****st**** to depart / 11:17 PM**

**CJ & Stacey: Married – 2****nd**** to depart / 11:17 PM**

(The two teams stand on the world map, ready to begin the next leg. Jennette is wearing a purple tank top and jeans. Shaylene is wearing a pink shirt with a soccer ball on it and jean shorts. CJ is dressed in a black t-shirt with the Hylian royal insignia on it and jeans, and Stacey is dressed in a blue-and-white-striped shirt and jeans. They wait for the signal and CJ and Jennette rip open their teams' clues.)

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City." Shaylene read.

"_From the pit stop, teams must take a taxi to Mushroom City Airport and get on any flight they can find to fly 918 miles to Pagoda City, at the base of Pagoda Peak. Once they arrive there, they will find their next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum."_ Phil narrated.

"You will find your next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race." CJ continued.

"Let's roll!" Jennette said, as the two teams hopped into one the waiting cabs.

"To the airport, please." CJ said to the driver.

"Follow them." Jennette said. The two cabs quickly drove off.

**(Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

The two lead teams rushed into the airport and quickly made their way to the Mushroom Airlines counter.

"Hi, we need to get on the next available flight to Ancient Valley, please." Jennette said.

"Okay… Well, we have a 2:35 AM flight arriving in Ancient Valley at 5:55 AM." The clerk said.

"Awesome. Can we get tickets on that please?" Stacey asked.

"Of course." The clerk said, printing up some tickets.

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – 1****st**** on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

**CJ & Stacey: Married – 2****nd**** on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

"Hopefully, we can get lucky and no one else will get tickets on this flight." Shaylene said (During-Leg). "Then, with any luck, we can hold our lead."

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – 3****rd**** to Depart / 11:37 PM**

**Fox & Krystal: Married – 4****th**** to Depart / 11:38 PM**

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City." Slippy read.

"You will find your next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race." Fox finished.

**(Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

The two Star Fox teams rushed into the airport, quickly located the Mushroom Airlines counter and rushed over to it.

"Good afternoon." Slippy said. "We need to get on the next flight to Ancient Valley."

"We have a flight leaving at 2:35 AM bound for Ancient Valley, arriving at 5:55 AM." The clerk said.

"We'll take tickets on that, please." Fox said.

"Us too, please." Peppy said.

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – 3****rd**** on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

**Fox & Krystal: Married – 4****th**** on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

"Thank you." Krystal said, as the two teams grabbed their tickets and rushed off.

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – 5****th**** to Depart / 12:03 AM**

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City. You will find your next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race." Peach read.

"Jolly good! Let's go!" Toadsworth exclaimed.

**(Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

Peach and Toadsworth ran into the airport, eager to get tickets on the earliest flight out of

Mushroom City.

"Let's try Mushroom Airlines." Peach said. "From what I understand, they usually have really good flights.

"Very well." Toadsworth said.

"Although I'm used to flying on my private jet, it's not like I'm always cooped up in my castle doing nothing. I do love getting out and seeing other places, so I'm a bit knowledgeable when it comes to some of the commercial airlines in the Mushroom Kingdom." Peach said (During-Leg).

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – 6****th ****to Depart / 12:17 AM**

"Okay Pikachu, it looks like we're going to Pagoda City… We have 267 coins." Ash said.

"(Sounds… exotic.)" Pikachu said.

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – 7****th**** to Depart / 12:20 AM**

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City…" Carmelita read. "Let's book it, Cooper!"

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor (Mushroom City Int'l Airport – Mushroom Airlines)**

"Good afternoon, good sir." Toadsworth said. "We would like to get tickets on the next flight out to Ancient Valley, please."

"Sure thing." The clerk said. "We have a flight leaving at 2:35 AM set to arrive in Ancient Valley at 5:55 AM. Would you like tickets for that?"

"Yes please." Peach said. The clerk printed a set of tickets and handed them to Toadsworth.

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – 5****th**** on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)**

"Thank you very much, good sir." Toadsworth said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends – 8****th**** to Depart / 12:29 AM**

"Take a taxi…" MetaKnight mumbled. "…get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there… Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race. Okay Kirby, let's go!"

"(So we're going to Pagoda City?)" Kirby asked. "(Isn't that in the far east of the Mushroom Kingdom?)"

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

The two teams quickly ran into the airport and scanned the "Departing Flights" board.

"Right there!" Ash called out. "2:15 AM! Jet Shrooms!"

"Let's go!" Sly said.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers – 9****th**** to Depart / 12:40 AM**

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City. You will find your next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race." Mario read.

"Cool. We're going to Pagoda Peak!" Luigi said. "I haven't been there in a while."

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon (Mushroom City Int'l Airport – Jet Shrooms)**

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating (Mushroom City Int'l Airport – Jet Shrooms)**

Ash, Pikachu, Sly and Carmelita ran toward the Jet Shrooms counter at full speed. As they neared it, Sly and Carmelita leaped over a rope railing and got ahead of Ash and Pikachu.

"We need tickets on the 2:15 flight to Ancient Valley." Carmelita said. "We're in a race for a million gold coins. Please tell me the flight isn't completely booked…"

The blue-capped, ponytailed Mushroom person at the counter looked at her computer and punched in a few commands.

"Nope. Not surprisingly, it's not very full at all." The clerk said, printing tickets. "Few people ever go to Pagoda Peak anymore."

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating – 1****st**** on FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms)**

"We need tickets on that flight as well!" Ash said.

"No problem." The clerk said, printing up more tickets.

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokémon – 2****nd**** on FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms)**

"Okay… We're all set." Sly said.

"Now we just wait…" Ash added.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

"Hmm… Which airline to try…" MetaKnight mused.

"(What about looking at that board?)" Kirby asked, pointing to the departure board.

"Good idea." MetaKnight said, scanning the board. "It says that Jet Shrooms has a flight leaving at 2:15 AM."

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 10****th**** to Depart / 12:46 AM**

"Oh cool… We're going to Pagoda Peak." DK said.

"What's our coin count?" Diddy asked.

"267." DK said.

"Awesome." Diddy said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends (Mushroom City Int'l Airport – Jet Shrooms)**

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

Kirby and MetaKnight ran over to the Jet Shrooms counter.

"We need tickets on the 2:15 AM flight to Ancient Valley." MetaKnight said, exaggerating his accent for the female clerk.

"Sure thing." She said. "But if you're looking to get there faster, we have a 2:00 AM flight leaving for Verdant Plains, and there's a 4:00 AM flight leaving Verdant Plains for Ancient Valley."

"What time will this flight arrive in Verdant Plains, and what time does that flight arrive in Ancient Valley?" MetaKnight asked.

"The flight lands in the Verdant Plains at 3:50 AM and the second flight arrives in Ancient Valley at 5:35 AM." The clerk said.

"…That's 10-minute window between flights…" MetaKnight thought for a moment. "What time does the 2:15 arrive in Ancient Valley?"

"6:15 AM." The clerk said.

"That's a 40-minute lead if we can get it…" MetaKnight said. "Okay, we'll take it." The clerk handed the tickets to MetaKnight. "But can we also buy tickets on the 2:15 AM just in case?"

"Sure."

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors – 1****st**** on FLIGHT 3 / 3****rd**** on FLIGHT 2(Jet Shrooms)**

"(Thanks.)" Kirby said.

Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi had rushed in and were scanning the departures board.

"Okay… Jet Shrooms had a flight leaving at 2:15 AM and another leaving at 2:00 AM… Mushroom Airlines has a flight leaving at 2:35 AM." Mario read. "Which one do you wanna go for?"

"Well the 2:00 AM might be tough." Luigi said. "That's a 10-minute window. Let's play it safe and go for the 2:15 AM."

The two then hastily made their way to the Jet Shrooms counter.

"Hi, we need to get on the 2:15 AM flight to Ancient Valley."

"Sure thing!" The clerk said, printing tickets. "Here you go."

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers – 4****th**** on FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms)**

"Thank you." Luigi said.

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends – Last to Depart / 12:59 AM**

"Take a taxi to Mushroom City International Airport and get on a flight to Ancient Valley. Once there, take a taxi to Pagoda City. You will find your next clue in front of the Pagoda City History Museum. You have 267 coins for this leg of the race." Sonic read.

"Where's Pagoda City?" Tails asked.

"I'm not sure." Sonic said. "I think it's in the Mushroom Kingdom somewhere."

**FLIGHT 3 (Jet Shrooms) – Departure (Mushroom City) / 2:00 AM**

"_This is the first flight departing Mushroom City, carrying Star Warriors Kirby & MetaKnight." _Phil narrated. _"This flight will take them to Verdant Plains, where they will then board a flight for Ancient Valley."_

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

The Kongs ran into the airport.

"DK, look…" Diddy said, pointing to the departures board. "Jet Shrooms has a flight leaving at 2:15 AM."

"Let's go!"

**(Jet Shrooms)**

The two rushed up to the counter.

"Are there are seats left on the 2:15 AM to Ancient Valley?" DK asked.

"Yes." The clerk said.

"2, please." DK said. "We need to get on that flight. We're in a race for a million coins."

"You got it." The clerk said.

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 5****th**** on FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms)**

"Thank you!" DK said, as he and Diddy made a dash for the gate.

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends (Mushroom City Int'l Airport)**

The final team ran into the airport and Tails scanned the departures.

"Jet Shrooms has a flight leaving at 2:15 AM." He said. "And Mushroom Airlines has one leaving at 2:35 AM."

"I don't think we can make Jet Shrooms." Sonic said.

"Attention… Jet Shrooms Flight 326 for Ancient Valley has now departed…" A voice said over the intercom.

"Darn…" Sonic said.

**FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms 326) – Departure (Mushroom City) / 2:15 AM**

"_This is the second flight leaving Mushroom City for Ancient Valley, connecting through Chomp Desert, and carrying Trainer/Pokémon team Ash & Pikachu, dating couple Sly & Carmelita, brothers Mario & Luigi and best friends DK & Diddy."_ Phil narrated.

**FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines 401) – Departure (Mushroom City) / 2:35 AM**

"_This is the final flight leaving Mushroom City for Ancient Valley, carrying married couple CJ & Stacey, sisters Shaylene & Jennette, friends Slippy & Peppy, dating couple Fox & Krystal, Princess/Mentor team Peach & Toadsworth and best friends Sonic & Tails."_ Phil narrated.

Two planes few towards a city at the base of a mountain. Bamboos tree were growing all around the area, and the city was filled with ancient Chinese-style buildings. Atop the mountain was a Chinese-style temple.

**FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines 401) – Arrival (Ancient Valley) / 5:55 AM**

**FLIGHT 3 (Jet Shrooms) – Arrival (Ancient Valley) / 5:55 AM**

The planes touched down at the airport, and the teams rushed out.

"Okay, we need to get to the Pagoda City History Museum…" Peach said.

CJ placed two fingers between his lips and let out a loud whistle. "Yo! Taxi!" 3 taxis quickly pulled up the curb next to the airport. CJ and Stacey got in one, Shaylene and Jennette got into the second, and the remaining few times proceeded to fight over who got the third one.

Finally, Kirby and MetaKnight won and jumped into the cab, while the other four teams were left waiting.

"That was fortunate." Jennette said. "I thought we might have had to wait for them to call another cab."

Less than five minutes later, Peach and Toadsworth were able to flag down a cab. As they climbed in, the other teams raced over, begging the driver to call cabs for them as well.

**CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette / Kirby & MetaKnight (Pagoda City History Museum)**

The three cabs pulled up to the museum and the three lead teams jumped out, ran to the clue box in front of the museum and grabbed their clue.

"Detour… Sky High or Ground Level."

"_In this Detour, teams must choose between two choices associated with Pagoda City's most famous landmark, Pagoda Peak… Sky High or Ground Level._

_In Sky High, teams must climb to the near top of Pagoda Peak and find the Fu Koopa Statue. Once there, they must each use one of the provided paper fans to fan the flames on a smaller Fu Koopa replica. Once they have put out the flames, the mouth of the statue will open to reveal their next clue._

_In Ground Level, teams must head to the Pagoda City Statue Garden and search among the hundreds of statues for statues of the monk of Pagoda Peak, Master Koopa. Once they believe they have the correct number of statues, they must head to House of Orbs and tell Kung Fu Koopa their total. If they are correct, he will give them their next clue. If not, they must go back and count again." _Phil narrated.

"Let's do Ground Level." MetaKnight said. "It sounds like a good challenge."

"Sky High sounds like a fun challenge." CJ said. "What do you think, girls?"

"I'm up for it." Stacey said.

"Sure. Let's go for it." Shaylene said.

**FLIGHT 2 (Jet Shrooms 326) – Arrival (Pagoda City) / 6:15 AM**

The final flight touched down at the airport and the last set of teams raced out, eager to catch up. Outside, cabs were just driving off with the remaining teams from the previous flight.

"Good." Carmelita said. "We're not too far behind."

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor (Pagoda City History Museum)**

"Detour… Sky High or Ground Level." Peach read. "I think Ground Level sounds fun."

"Okay. Sounds good to me." Toadsworth said.

**CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette (Detour – Sky High)**

CJ and the girls climbed the mountain and reached the Fu Koopa. They looked at their equipment: small heavy paper fans with wooden frames. The statues they needed to blow out the flames on were approximately five feet tall, one and a half feet wide, and six feet long.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." CJ said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight / Peach & Toadsworth (Detour – Ground Level)**

Peach and Toadsworth ran into the garden. In their hands was a picture of Master Koopa. Kirby and MetaKnight were already frantically searching through the garden. Peach looked at the all the statues and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Oh my… That's a lot of statues…" She said.

"Would you want to change and do Sky High, Princess?" Toadsworth asked.

"No… I think we can do this."

**Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy / Sonic & Tails (Pagoda City History Museum)**

"Detour… Sky High or Ground Level."

"Sky High sounds like our kind of thing." Fox said.

"Agreed." Voiced Slippy.

"Let's stick with Ground Level." Sonic said.

**Ash & Pikachu / DK & Diddy / Sly & Carmelita / Mario & Luigi (Pagoda City Airport)**

The four teams watched as a line of cabs drove toward the airport. Two teams were quickly able to flag down two empty cabs, while the other two found themselves waiting for two cabs to unload their passengers and cargo.

"Pagoda City History Museum, and fast!" Sly said, as he and Carmelita hopped into one of the empty cabs.

"We need to get to the History Museum and quickly!" Ash said.

"Sir, are you free to take us to the Pagoda City History Museum?" Mario asked.

"Yes. Just as soon as they are done unloading their belongings." The cab driver said, pointing to his passengers, who were taking things out of the trunk.

"We need a ride to the History Museum." DK said to one of the cab drivers. "Can you help us?"

"I'm waiting for someone, but I can call a cab for you." The driver said.

"Thank you." Diddy said.

**CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette (Detour – Sky High)**

All four racers stood there, waving their fans with all their might.

"This might be… harder than I thought." Jennette said, catching her breath.

"Don't lose focus, girls!" CJ said.

"My arms are getting tired." Shaylene said.

"Mine too." Stacey said.

"We've almost got it! Don't give up!" CJ said.

Meanwhile, Team StarFox climbed to the top of the mountain and looked at the challenge that was laid out in front of them.

"Not quite when I expected when I read the words 'Sky High'…" Fox said.

"Yup." Slippy said. "Definitely wasn't expecting to be trying to put out a fire. I guess the 'Sky High' part is because we're on top of a mountain…"

"Perhaps we should have read the full clue before choosing, don't you think boys?" Krystal asked.

**Kirby & MetaKnight / Peach & Toadsworth / Sonic & Tails (Detour – Ground Level)**

"This is quite the garden…" MetaKnight said.

"Toadsworth! I found one!" Peach said.

"This… might be a lot tougher than I expected." Sonic said. "But I'd rather have both feet planted firmly on the ground."

"When we finished the Detour and found out that the other option didn't involve flying, I was kicking myself." Sonic said (After-Leg). "Searching for those statues was a pain in the butt."

**Sly & Carmelita / Ash & Pikachu (Pagoda City History Museum)**

The two teams' cabs pulled up to the museum and they jumped out.

"Detour…" Carmelita read.

"(Sky High or Ground Level.)" Pikachu read.

"I'm up for going up." Sly said. "Let's take Sky High."

"Let's be adventurous." Ash said. "Sky High it is."

**CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette / Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy (Detour – Sky High)**

"Okay, this is nowhere as easy as I expected when I saw the fans and the flames…" Fox said.

"Maybe we're not swinging the fans hard enough?" Krystal wondered.

"Worth a shot." Slippy said.

"Yay! We did it!" Shaylene cheered, as their statue's mouth opened and they grabbed their clue.

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters – Currently in 1****st**

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy." Shaylene read.

"_Upon completing the Detour, teams must make their way to the Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy. It's here, at this prestigious martial arts school, where they will find their next clue."_ Phil narrated.

"Caution: U-Turn Ahead." Shaylene continued.

"_A U-turn is found at the end of a Detour. Teams can use the power of a U-turn to slow down another team, forcing them to backtrack and complete the other side Detour they did not previously complete. A team's U-Turn power is limited, as they can only use it once during the race." _Phil narrated. _"However, this U-Turn is unique, in the fact that the team that chooses to use the U-Turn… will remain anonymous."_

It didn't take long before CJ and Stacey had blown out the flames on their statue as well. CJ reached into the statue's mouth and grabbed their clue.

**CJ & Stacey: Married – Currently in 2****nd**

"Let's go, girls!"

"To be honest, I'm a little bit surprised we're doing as well as we are." CJ said. "I mean, yeah, every single team is made up of first time racers, but look at the people we're competing against… Ace pilots, master thieves, and just general heroes and adventurers."

"But at the same time, it's kinda encouraging." Jennette said. "Despite who we're up against, we're managing to hold out own against them."

**DK & Diddy / Mario & Luigi (Pagoda City History Museum)**

The final two teams pulled up to the history museum, jumped out of their cars and grabbed their clues.

"Detour… Sky High or Ground Level." DK read.

"Let's stick with Ground Level." Diddy said. "I don't mind swinging from trees, but considering we're at the base of a mountain, I don't think we'll be doing any tree climbing…"

"Thoughts, Luigi?" Mario asked.

"Ground Level sounds like fun." Luigi replied.

**Kirby & MetaKnight / Peach & Toadsworth / Sonic & Tails (Detour – Ground Level)**

"Okay, I think we've got this." MetaKnight said. He and Kirby then left the garden and headed to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa are there?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"(5.)" Kirby said.

"I'm sorry... That's incorrect." Kung Fu Koopa said. "Please return to the garden and try again."

As Kirby and MetaKnight returned to the garden, Team Mario and Team Kong entered the area as well.

"Oh boy... More competition..." Tails said.

**Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy (Detour – Sky High)**

"Come on, guys! We've gotta catch up to CJ and the girls!" Fox said, swinging his fan with more force. The others quickly followed suit, and before long, they had extinguished the flames on their statues. The mouths opened and the two teams grabbed their clues.

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy." Krystal read.

"Caution: U-Turn Ahead." Peppy continued.

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Detour – Sky High)**

As the Sages and Team Star Fox ran back down the mountain, Ash, Pikachu, Sly and Carmelita ran up to the peak.

"Uh oh... They've already finished..." Ash said.

"We had better hurry..." Sly said with worry.

**CJ & Stacey / Shaylene & Jennette (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

The two teams ran toward a small dojo. In front of it was a clue box, and in front of the clue box was a small sign that read "U-Turn". Attached to the sign was a tablet computer bearing photos of all the teams. The sign and tablet were attached to a post that stood on a world map similar to that of the Pit Stop.

"We choose not to U-Turn anyone." CJ said, stepping on the map. Shaylene and Jennette stopped at the tablet and tapped on a picture of another team.

"We choose to U-Turn Peach and Toadsworth." Shaylene said.

"Sure, the U-Turn may not have been entirely necessary, but we had a decent lead, and we didn't want to lose it." Shaylene said (After-Leg).

The two teams ran forward and grabbed their clues.

"Roadblock..." CJ read.

"Who's got a strong steady hand?" Jennette finished.

"_A Roadblock is a task that only team member may perform, and no one may perform more than 6 in a race. In this Roadblock, that person must enter the Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy and learn Mushroom Kung Fu. Once they are confident that they have learned the art, they must use their hand to break through a log, headbutt through a wooden plank and kick through a brick and stone tile. Once they can do this, they will receive their next clue." _Phil narrated.

"Let me give this one a try." Stacey said.

"Mind if I try this one out?" Shaylene asked.

"Go for it, sis." Jennette said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight / Peach & Toadsworth / Sonic & Tails / Mario & Luigi / DK & Diddy (Detour – Ground Level)**

"Hey, I think this is one of them..." Mario whispered to Luigi as they examined a statue.

"Sweet. Let's hope we can actually find them all." Luigi said.

"Okay Kirby, I think we've got it." MetaKnight said. "Let's try it again." Kirby and MetaKnight then rushed out of the park and ran up to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa are there?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"(7)." Kirby said.

"That's correct." Kung Fu Koopa said, handing the Star Warriors a clue.

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy. Caution: U-Turn Ahead." MetaKnight read.

**Fox & Krystal / Slippy & Peppy (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

The two teams ran toward the Kung Fu Academy, looking at the U-Turn board as they ran past.

"Peach and Toadsworth have been U-Turned..." Peppy said.

"They're going to be thrilled by that..." Krystal said sarcastically. The two teams then grabbed their clues.

"Roadblock..." Fox read. "You did that last one. I'll do this one."

"Who's got a strong steady hand?" Slippy finished. "I'll handle this, Pep."

**Stacey / Shaylene (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

"Breathe, Shay... You can do this..." Shaylene said to herself. Gaining her composure, she dropped her hand onto a small log, snapping it in half. She took a deep breath as a Koopa Troopa came over, holding up a wooden plank.

"Next is the headbutt." The Koopa said.

Meanwhile, a Koopa Troopa stood in front of Stacey, holding a wooden plank.

"I wish CJ had done this..." Stacey mumbled to herself. She then headbutted the wooden plank, breaking it in two. "Ow..."

"As soon as I found out I needed to headbutt a wooden plank for the Roadblock, I regretted it." Stacey said (After-Leg). "I have chronic migraine issues, and a sensitive head, and hitting that plank with my head didn't help."

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Detour – Sky High)**

"We gotta move fast!" Ash said. Both teams were vigorously waving their fans, hoping to blow out the flames quickly.

"Come on, Ringtail! We've gotta get this done!" Carmelita exclaimed.

**Peach & Toadsworth / Sonic & Tails / Mario & Luigi / DK & Diddy (Detour – Ground Level)**

Peach, Toadsworth, Sonic and Tails rushed eagerly over to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues did you find in the garden?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"6." Peach said.

"I'm sorry. That is incorrect." Kung Fu Koopa said.

"Dang..." Peach said, as she and Toadsworth turned around and ran back toward the statue garden.

"How many statues did you find in the garden?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"8." Sonic said.

"I'm sorry. That is incorrect." Kung Fu Koopa said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

The Star Warriors rushed toward the Kung Fu academy and saw the U-Turn board.

"Oh good... We're not U-Turned." MetaKnight said.

"(Lucky for us.)" Kirby said.

"Roadblock... Who's got a strong steady hand?" MetaKnight read. "I'll do this one."

**Stacey / Shaylene / Fox / Slippy (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

Shaylene headbutted her way through a wooden plank. It didn't take long before Fox and Slippy had done the same, and the three were now preparing to kick through a brick. Stacey, meanwhile, was sitting down, trying to suppress the headache caused by headbutting the wooden plank.

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Detour – Sky High)**

"Come on, flames! Go out!" Ash exclaimed.

"Almost there..." Sly said. The two teams breathed an excited sigh of relief as their flames were extinguished, the statue's mouths opened, and the clues were revealed.

"(Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy.)" Pikachu read.

"Caution: U-Turn Ahead." Carmelita finished.

**Peach & Toadsworth / Sonic & Tails / Mario & Luigi / DK & Diddy (Detour – Ground Level)**

"I think I've got it, Toadsworth!" Peach exclaimed.

"Bro, come on! I think we're done!" Luigi called out to Mario. The two teams rushed over to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa did you find in the garden?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"7." Peach and Mario said simultaneously.

"That is correct." Kung Fu Koopa said, handing them each a clue.

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy..."

"Caution: U-Turn Ahead."

**Stacey / Shaylene / Fox / Slippy / MetaKnight (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

Fox let out a mighty grunt as he kicked through the stone tile, followed quickly by Slippy. It didn't take long before Shaylene had done the same. Meanwhile, Stacey had finally recovered from headbutting the wooden plank, had kicked through the brick and was trying to kick through the stone tile.

The Kung Fu instructor exchanged a bow with both Fox, Slippy and Shaylene before handing them their clues.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop..." Fox said.

"...Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak..." Slippy continued.

"Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." Finished Shaylene.

"_Upon completing the Roadblock, teams must race on foot to the top of Pagoda Peak, where the Koopa Temple sits. This temple, where Master Koopa trains his body and mind on a daily basis, is the pit stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here... may be eliminated." _Phil narrated.

Team Star Fox rushed out of the academy, eager to race to the pit stop. Shaylene looked at Stacey, then over at CJ, who was sitting nearby, and the she turned to Jennette.

"I hope Stacey can finish this quick..." Jennette said. "If she does, we may be able to outrun Team Star Fox to the pit stop."

**Ash & Pikachu / Sly & Carmelita (Pagoda Peak Kung Academy)**

The two teams ran toward the academy, briefly stopping to glance at the U-Turn.

"Glad it's not us." Sly said.

"(Poor Peach and Toadsworth)..." Pikachu said with concern.

"Roadblock... Who's got a strong steady hand?" Carmelita read. "This sounds like a job for the master thief, Ringtail. Go for it."

"Mind if I do this one, Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu shook his head.

**Sonic & Tails / DK & Diddy (Detour – Ground Level)**

"Could this be any harder?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Wait! I think I've got it!" Tails called out. "Let's go!"

"How many have you found?" DK asked.

"6, I think..." Diddy said. "It's hard to tell... All these Koopa statues look the same..."

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure I found 5." DK said. "Why can't all Koopas have more distinction between them?"

As DK and Diddy were discussing statues, Sonic and Tails had rushed over to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa did you find?"

"7." Sonic said.

"That is correct." Kung Fu Koopa said, handing them their clue.

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy. Caution: U-Turn Ahead." Sonic read. As he and Tails ran off, he said: "I really hope we're not U-Turned..."

DK and Diddy then ran over to the House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa did you find?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"11." DK said.

"I'm sorry. That is incorrect." Kung Fu Koopa said.

**Peach & Toadsworth / Mario & Luigi (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

"I see the academy!" Mario yelled. "And there's the U-Turn!" The two teams rushed forward, where they were all shocked at the sight of the U-Turn board.

"Oh no... We've been U-Turned..." Peach sighed. "Come on... We have to go back and do Sky High..." The two turned and started heading back toward House of Orbs. Meanwhile, Mario rushed forward, grabbed the clue and tore it open.

"Roadblock... Who's got a strong steady hand?" He read. "You're up, bro. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Mario." Luigi said.

**Stacey / MetaKnight / Luigi / Sly / Ash (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

Stacey finally kicked through the stone tile, just as MetaKnight headbutted through the wooden plank. Meanwhile, Sly and Ash were preparing to headbutt through the plank. Stacey and the Kung Fu instructor bowed, before he handed her the next clue. She ran over to CJ and handed him the clue, which he promptly ripped open.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop... Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." CJ read.

"Sorry I slowed you guys down..." She said, looking at Jennette and Shaylene.

"It's okay." Jennette said.

"Yeah. We're working together." Shaylene said. "Don't sweat it."

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor (Detour – Sky High)**

"Okay, we have to beat this quickly..." Peach said, as she and Toadsworth grabbed the fans and prepared to fan the statue.

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

Phil stood on the world map with an old Koopa with bushy white eyebrows, a long white beard, and a wooden cane. Two teams rushed forward and eagerly stepped onto the map.

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak..." The Koopa said with a voice like that of an older Asian man.

"Thank you." One racer said.

"Fox and Krystal... Slippy and Peppy... I'm pleased to tell you that you are team number one... and team number two." Phil said with a smile.

**Fox & Krystal: Married - 1st Place / 12:07 PM**

**Slippy & Peppy: Friends – 2nd Place / 12:07 PM**

"Awesome!" Fox said.

"I'll bet CJ and the girls won't be far behind though..." Krystal said.

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

"Oh man... Peach and Toadsworth got U-Turned." Tails said.

"Works for us." Sonic said. He then grabbed the clue and ripped it open. "Roadblock... Who's got a strong steady hand? I'll take this one."

**MetaKnight / Luigi / Sly / Ash (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

"Hi-ya!" MetaKnight grunted as he kicked through the stone tile. Luigi meanwhile had just headbutted through the plank of wood, Sly and Ash had kicked through the brick and Sonic was just stepping forward.

The Kung Fu master and MetaKnight bowed to each other, and he then handed the clue to MetaKnight.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop... Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." MetaKnight read. "Let's go, Kirby."

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

Phil and Master Koopa stood and watched as the second pair of allied teams rushed up to the Pit Stop.

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak..." Master Koopa said.

"Are we first?"

"CJ and Stacey... Shaylene and Jennette... You're team number three and four." Phil said.

**CJ & Stacey: Married - 3rd Place / 12:23 PM**

**Shaylene & Jennette: Sisters - 4th Place / 12:24 PM**

"Third is certainly better than last..." CJ said.

"I'll take it." Shaylene said.

"Sorry..." Stacey said.

"Hun, you don't need to apologize for anything." CJ said.

"I know, but I feel like I slowed us down." Stacey said.

"You didn't slow us down." Jennette said. "We're still in the race, after all."

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends (Detour – Ground Level)**

"Dang it!" DK exclaimed. "Why is this so tough?"

"Wait!" Diddy called out. "What if we both counted some of the same statues?"

"You may be right." DK said. "Let's head around and count together."

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor (Detour – Sky High)**

"Just a little more... Got it!" Peach said, as she and Toadsworth extinguished the flames on the statue.

"Back to the Kung Fu Academy." Toadsworth said.

**Luigi / Sly / Ash / Sonic (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

"Hyah!"

"Argh!"

"Got it!" Luigi, Sly and Ash all gathered their strength and kicked through the stone tiles, as Sonic headbutted through the wooden plank. The each bowed to the Kung Fu instructor, who handed them their clues.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop..." Sly read.

"...Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak." Continued Luigi.

"Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." Ash concluded.

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

Phil and Master Koopa watched as the next team stepped onto the world map and caught their breath.

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak..." Master Koopa said.

"Thank you."

"Kirby and MetaKnight... You're team number five." Phil said.

**Kirby & MetaKnight: 5th Place / 12:49 PM**

"(Not bad.)" Kirby said. "(Better than last leg.)"

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends (Detour – Ground Level)**

"Okay... I think we've got it." DK said. The two ran to House of Orbs.

"How many statues of Master Koopa did you find?" Kung Fu Koopa asked.

"7." DK said.

"That is correct." Kung Fu Koopa said. "Here is your clue."

"Proceed to Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy. Caution: U-Turn Ahead." DK read.

**(Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy)**

The two trailing teams ran up to the Kung Fu Academy and grabbed their clues.

"Roadblock..."

"Who's got a strong steady hand?"

"I'll do this one, Princess." Toadsworth said.

"This one's right up your alley, DK." Diddy said.

"All right. I'll take it." DK said.

**Sonic / Toadsworth / DK (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

Toadsworth and DK walked into the academy, removed their shoes (well, Toadsworth, since DK doesn't wear any) and greeted the instructor. Meanwhile, Sonic kicked through the stone tile, bowed to the instructor and received his clue.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop... Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak. Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." Sonic read, as he met up with Tails and opened the clue.

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

Phil and Master Koopa looked down the mountain at several teams working their way up. The two looked on as a team reached the pit stop.

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak..." Master Koopa said.

"Thank you."

"Mario and Luigi... You're team number six." Phil said.

**Mario & Luigi: Brothers - 6th Place / 1:12 PM**

The brothers simply sighed with relief and put their arms around each other.

Not long after, two more teams climbed their way to the top of the mountain.

"Sly and Carmelita... Ash and Pikachu... You're teams seven and eight." Phil said.

**Sly & Carmelita: Dating - 7th Place / 1:29 PM**

**Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokemon - 8th Place / 1:30 PM**

"Made it..." Sly said.

"(Too close)." Pikachu sighed.

**Toadsworth / DK (Pagoda Peak Kung Fu Academy – Roadblock)**

Toadsworth hunched over and caught his breath as he kicked through the stone tile, as DK kicked through the stone tile with relative ease. The two bowed to the instructor and were given their clues.

"Proceed to the Pit Stop... Koopa Temple atop Pagoda Peak." Toadsworth read.

"Warning: the last team to check in may be eliminated." Finished DK.

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak..."

"Sonic and Tails... You're team number nine." Phil said.

**Sonic & Tails: Best Friends - 9th Place / 1:41 PM**

"For the fastest thing alive, I was pretty slow..." Sonic said, chuckling a bit.

**Team ? (Pagoda Peak)**

Phil and Master Koopa stood atop Pagoda Peak. The sun shined brightly on the temple, the mountain and the city beneath. A gentle wind blew, and the sound of birds chirping gently broke the peaceful serenity of the sacred mountain air. They looked ahead as the final two teams arrived at the pit stop, moments away from each other.

"Welcome... to Pagoda Peak." Master Koopa said.

"Thank you sir."

"Peach and Toadsworth... You're team number ten... DK and Diddy... You're the last team to arrive..." Phil said.

**Peach & Toadsworth: Princess/Mentor – 10th Place / 2:07 PM**

**DK & Diddy: Best Friends - 11th Place / 2:07 PM**

"So close..." DK said.

"Missed it by a hair..." Diddy said.

"I'm pleased to tell you, however, that this is the first non-elimination leg, and you are still in The Amazing Race..." Phil said.

"No way!" DK exclaimed.

"You're kidding!"

"This comes at a price, however..." Phil said. "We have to take all your money, and you will not receive any at the start of the next leg."

(The camera zooms out and flies over the mountain as Peach and Toadsworth remove their shoes, and the last two teams walked into the temple.)


End file.
